2017 Goals {2}

To better meet goals, accountability is my friend. It's one of the only ways I am able to keep up with things but I'm not always great about finding that accountability. One thing I can do is post some updates!

I feel good about some of the new habits I've formed but I still have a lot to work on. Like I said in my first post about 2017 Goals, this year will be about purpose and progress. I try to make purposeful decisions about how I spend my time. Although I'm not doing very good every single day, I do see progress and that is exciting.

GOAL #1 - Read
This is one goal that is slow going. I don't often pick up a book to read so this may be a more challenging habit to form. With that said, I did begin one book and am about 60% of the way through. I chose to begin with The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin because I wanted to read about how someone else chose to live purposefully. It's an interesting read but it's also a little conversational so I find myself getting bored easily which is why it's been slow going thus far. I do like the book but if I'm a little too tired, I don't even attempt to read. I want to be engaged when I'm reading so that I retain the information better. I hope to finish that book by the end of the month so I can move on to the next one!

Here are the next few I'd like to read (that I for some reason left off my original list!):

Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You'll Love by Holly Porter Johnson and Greg Johnson

The Life-changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever by Marie Kondo

Hungry for Change: Ditch the Diets, Conquer the Cravings, and Eat Your Way to Lifelong Health by James Colquhoun

OH and I found out that Michael Connelly will be releasing TWO new books this year and I am sooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (this is like Top Chef and Masterchef Junior excitement here!) One of them will be to introduce a new lead character so that'll be fun to read. c.a.n.n.o.t.w.a.i.t.

GOAL #2 - Control Finances Better
We haven't done much in this yet but I hope to change that in March. Finances always seem healthier when there is a plan so that'll be a focus soon. Hence the reason why I want to read Zero Down Debt! This is a budgeting method that we have not yet used so I am interested to read more about how to implement it. We still don't know the full amount of replacing our main sewer line yet but to pay down the rest of our debt would be a good thing! The ground was too frozen to replace it all so they've completed the half under the street but have the area underneath the sidewalk and grass yet to do. We also want to update the rest of our existing cast iron plumbing because it's in bad shape. It will take a little bit longer to pay off our debts but I do look forward to the day it's all gone!


GOAL #3 - Cook More, Cook Smarter
Now, this is a goal that I feel I am doing very well at! This has been one of my biggest struggles as an adult so it's pretty exciting for me to see this new habit in place. While I still see some struggles to work through, I am motivated to keep making better choices in the kitchen. One big struggle I have is the weekend - I don't currently prepare anything for the weekend ahead of time so I often make poor choices during this time. I'd love to set aside time during the week to prep those meals but that'll mean utilizing my weeknights better (which I totally need to do but that's a really hard habit to break!)

One thing I am really excited about is the Farmer's Market. I bought the $225 Market Share from Patchwork Farms versus our typical $150 investment. I look forward to buying MORE fresh vegetables over the summer! The boys especially loved the fresh green beans - even the yellow and purple ones! I just got lucky because those seem to be Owen's favorite colors :)

And of course, I love to document what I prep each week. In case you missed them, here you go! We hope to incorporate our crockpot more too! Perhaps that's what I could do for the weekend.....hmmm.

GOAL #4 - Form Healthy Habits
I've been doing a tiny bit better here. I have the desire to work out but that doesn't always translate to me actually getting the workout in every day. The best time for me to workout would be right away in the morning so that I don't let any other excuses get the best of me throughout the day. If I get the workout in before the day begins, my other goals are achieved at a higher rate as well. Despite wanting to form the best habits and get rid of old bad habits, this doesn't seem to resonate deeply within me just yet. I don't get the best sleep every night so I'm "too tired" to get up early. In reality, my body and sleeping habits would adjust but I need to develop the desire to wake up early in order for it to occur.

Though I haven't gotten up early to workout, I have utilized my lunch hour a little bit better. It's not my favorite time of day to workout but it still feels really empowering to get it done in the middle of the day. There's a group class that I did once and really enjoyed. I can see myself doing that on a more regular basis if I don't start working out in the morning. Or perhaps I could squeeze it in on the random day I don't get up early if I wasn't able to. I would also love to start jogging. I prefer to run on a treadmill so that would require me to devote a little extra time to workout which may not be my top priority.

Another thing I would like to work on is my resting heart rate. I have a Fitbit Charge 2 and while I know it may not be 100% accurate, I do feel it's a good gauge of what my heart rate is. And I've found it could be better. When I started wearing it, my cardio fitness level was in fair condition. In the few weeks since I've worn it, I'm now in the average section. I'd love to be in the good or very good category so that's something I can work towards. Below are some of the heart rate readings from my workouts last week. Pretty interesting stuff!

GOAL #5 - Travel
I keep changing my mind between going on a trip with the boys or without the boys. I think we've now landed on going with the boys to Chicago since that is a place we are very familiar. It would be a little more stressful to go to a new place and we just want to share our love for a city that we adore. We're thinking June right now but that could change.